Nothing frightens mediocrity more than excellence. The recent orchestrated propaganda against Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s BATOGD Midterm Community Assessment and Review Tour would be laughable if it weren’t so transparently desperate.
Let’s dissect this comedy of errors with facts that stubborn friend propaganda can never afford.
The “Military Intimidation” Farce
The allegation that Senator Daniel deployed soldiers to intimidate constituents is as credible as claiming the sun rises in the west. Here’s what actually happened: In a nation grappling with unprecedented kidnapping and banditry, where governor convoys are shot at, traditional rulers, and ordinary citizens are abducted daily, a federally sponsored event with over 10,000 attendees proactively applied for comprehensive security coverage. This is not just standard procedure; it’s basic common sense.
The Nigerian Constitution and security protocols explicitly permit federal government representatives to request military support for events with credible security threats. With intelligence reports warning of potential disruption and the enormous crowds (averaging 10,000 per location), what responsible senator would gamble with constituents’ lives to satisfy political optics?
The irony is delicious: our detractors complain about soldiers on patrol while simultaneously plotting the very mayhem that necessitated such security. If 8,000 citizens have safely assembled at six consecutive events without incident, shouldn’t that be celebrated rather than criticised? Unless, of course, someone had other plans that strong security frustrated.
The PDP Empowerment Myth
The claim that Senator Daniel empowers only PDP members is so divorced from reality it deserves a separate zip code. BATOGD Movement is a registered support group with the APC National Office, with an emphasis on APC. Photographic and video evidence from every rally shows thousands waving APC flags, wearing APC regalia, and celebrating President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
But facts have never deterred desperate propagandists. When your political relevance is evaporating faster than morning dew, you manufacture grievances. The truth? BATOGD’s empowerment, tractors, generators, motorcycles, medical outreach treating 300+ patients per location—cuts across party lines because development isn’t partisan. Real leadership serves everyone, not just loyalists.
The Question of Complainants
Here’s where this propaganda unravels spectacularly: Who exactly is complaining? The 10,000 constituents who showed up at Ijebu-Igbo? The 300 patients receiving free medical care? The beneficiaries of millions in empowerment items?
The only “complainants” are those threatened by OGD’s rising popularity and the rousing receptions at every stop. When you can’t match someone’s achievements, you manufacture scandals. When you can’t provide refrigerators and motorcycles, you provide propaganda.
The Pattern of Obstruction
What the article conveniently omits is the systematic state-level sabotage of federal projects, Paddy Arikawe Road, GRA Sagamu, Aiyepe Road, and multiple infrastructural developments frustrated by “instructions from above.” Even privately-owned venues are mysteriously “shut down” hours before events, forcing organisers to clear bushes overnight.
Yet Senator Daniel, like the phoenix he is, rises through the ashes each time, literally clearing bushes when buildings are locked, relocating when venues are sabotaged, succeeding where obstruction is guaranteed.
The Real Story
BATOGD has successfully completed six of nine local governments: Sagamu, Ijebu North East, Ijebu East, Ikenne, Ogun Waterside, and Ijebu North, each attracting massive crowds, delivering tangible empowerment, and recording zero security incidents. Three more locations await a similar transformation.
The coordinated security—Police, DSS, NSCDC, and military oversight- ensured every single attendee returned home safely. In a country where political gatherings often end in tragedy, this 100% safety record should be applauded, not attacked.
The Bottom Line
When did protecting Nigerian lives become controversial? When did deploying security at mass gatherings become intimidation? The answer: when excellence threatens mediocrity, when achievement exposes emptiness, when a senator actually works, and others realise their inadequacy.
The military investigation will vindicate what common sense already confirms: responsible leadership requested legitimate security for a legitimate federal event with legitimate security concerns. Everything else is smoke without fire, noise without substance, propaganda without purpose.
Senator Daniel remains focused on completing this transformative tour, expanding it across the Southwest, and ensuring President Tinubu’s message reaches every corner of Ogun East. No amount of manufactured outrage will derail that mission.
After all, phoenixes don’t ask permission to fly; they simply rise, brilliantly and unapologetically, time and time again.
The truth, as always, remains undefeated.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
